Updates from Frederick Smith, former Detroiter living in Los Angeles, and author of Play It Forward (January 2015), Right Side of the Wrong Bed (December 2007), and Down For Whatever (July 2005).
www.FrederickLSmith.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Save The World... While You Can

Congressman John Conyers, a Democrat from my hometown, Detroit, wants a full Senate hearing on the Secret Downing Street Memo, which suggests that our current regime in Washington D.C. planned the war in Iraq long before any excuses and justifications were presented to the U.S. public. Excuses that most people bought blindly. Now, 1700+ U.S. deaths later, polls suggest most of us think it was a big mistake.Of course most of us who are progressive, thinking types knew the whole war was/is a farce and an excuse for making rich people richer, and for sending poor black and brown boys off to fight and die for causes unjustified. (And on a side note, please tell your younger brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews that college is a much better option than the military... there's more military recruiters than college recruiters in most of our inner city public schools these days!!!)I didn't know anything about John Conyers' efforts to make this public through hearings in Washington. None of the major news networks or papers are covering it. Heard about it this morning on Air America radio and the Stephanie Miller Show. Heard the Republicans are making it difficult for a hearing to happen. They don't think it's important. They are the "majority". "Majority" rules. Kinda like white, religious majority rules, if you get my drift. Howard Dean wasn't too off his rocker, but the mainstream media wants to suggest he's off the mark calling the Republican Party "pretty much a white, Christian party."If you get Air America in your town, try to listen and support. Or any public radio station in your town for that matter.These days, journalism is a farce of what it used to be. When getting all sides of every story was important. When questioning those in authority was the norm. When being paid by the government was not the way to get a story and particular view aired. That's not what I learned at Mizzou.Send John Conyers or your own reps a note saying you applaud his efforts to get these hearings started and in public. Let Barbara Lee know you support her standing up in the face of adversity and ridicule. Barbara Boxer and Michael Moore, too.fs